*“Black Lightning” producer Salim Akil has been hit with a pearl-clutching lawsuit alleging domestic violence and a breach of contract with the scripted drama, “Love Is ___”… jezebel.com reports.
Amber Dixon Brenner, the woman who says she was the married exec’s girlfriend for over a decade, filed a lawsuit on November 20 in California claiming she and Akil had a “physically and sexually abusive relationship.”
Brenner’s complaint alleges she and Akil began “a dating relationship, which involved frequent sexual contact,” about 10 years ago. Akil, according to IMDb, has been married to writer/producer Mara Brock Akil since 1999. Brenner’s accusations of abuse are numerous and harrowing. They include multiple instances of physical violence in the form of slapping, strangling, and forced oral sex. Brenner alleges, for example, that during a birthday party in Los Angeles’s Roosevelt Hotel, Akil asked her to follow him into the bathroom, where he slapped her, causing her to stumble backwards, and then commanded her to perform oral sex. Brenner’s complaint alleges that he then urinated in her mouth.
In another instance, Brenner alleges that she asked Akil to stop having sex with her during a painful encounter.
“He refused to stop, saying: ‘uhnt uhnt [no, no]. Take it.’”
In yet another, the complaint claims that on a patio outside his house on Martha’s Vineyard, “he proceeded to stick three fingers up her anus and started lecturing her.” Brenner’s complaint includes multiple instances of him slapping her during sex.
Brenner also says she pitched a screenplay called “Luv & Perversity in the East Village” to Akil in 2016, and it was based on their volatile relationship.
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THR breaks down the backstory:
The story, she says, centers on “a young, attractive, black entertainment professional, who falls in love with a dominant and aggressive man who turns her life upside down.” Akil emailed her saying he was “really enjoying” the script, according to the complaint, and later used the idea as the basis for OWN’s Love Is.
Brenner’s graphic lawsuit claims she and Akil began an affair a decade ago and were together up until last year. During that time, she claims he hit her and forced oral sex on multiple occasions. She also says he photographed a sexual encounter without permission.
She’s suing for breach of implied contract regarding her screenplay and for domestic violence for the alleged abuse during their relationship. She’s seeking damages for the use of her ideas and for emotional distress.
You can read Brenner’s full complaint here: Amber Brenner’s lawsuit… on Scribd…or see below:
The suit also explains why she endured this abusive relationship:
The reasons why Plaintiff did not leave Akil after the very first of these instances occurred are complicated and the subject of significant resulting therapy for Plaintiff. Plaintiff believed that she loved Akil. She also looked up to him as a prominent motion picture television director in some of the same entertainment circles where Plaintiff socialized. Akil likewise would at times dangle potential acting roles and professional collaborations before Plaintiff. However, what we do know, is that these acts caused significant emotional and physical harm to the Plaintiff and were abusive; i.e., Akil intentionally or recklessly caused or attempted to cause bodily injury, or placing Plaintiff in reasonable apprehension of bodily injury.
Brenner is also suing Akil and Oprah’s OWN network for copyright infringement, as she claims her screenplay was used as the basis for “Love Is.”
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